where the heart opens

Awaken your soul | Loving Kindness

Hello, and welcome. I’d like to begin with a bit of background. I’m having a spiritual awakening, and in this moment I’m awakening to the fact that I am enough. It’s so damn beautiful, I’ve cried. I’ve been doing loving kindness meditations, and in it, opening my heart to the boundless beauty of the universe, and the inhabitants in it–the inherent beauty of all, even myself.

I’ve been happier, and more confident lately, but something has felt missing, and I think this is it: the realization that I am enough.

I came to this awakening through a daily practice of loving kindness meditations. I used the Calm app to guide me through the process. The loving kindness meditation is a method of developing feelings of compassion towards yourself and others. It walks you through 4 affirmations: May I be happy, May I be safe, May I be healthy, May I be at peace; from there, it walks you through the phrases applied to others: someone you love, someone who’s challenging in life, the people in the community.

In my experience, I began to feel love for myself, my life, and the lives of others. I found myself showing more kindness to people, even strangers. But recently, I’ve began to feel a loving presence, and my thoughts are full of affirmations from this presence: you are loved, you enough, be at peace. And the overwhelming serenity I’ve felt in doing this has been life changing.

I feel better able to focus on my goals because I can show compassion for myself when I make mistakes, and when I succeed I’m able to acknowledge it.

I began incorporating tarot into my loving kindness meditations. I usually use a positive card, like the star or the sun, but sometimes I’ll meditate on the more challenging cards too, like the 3 of swords.

Two Quick Tarot Loving Kindness Exercises:

The Star:

Gaze at your star card, once you’ve got the image in your mind close your eyes. Get into a relaxed state by focusing on your breathing. Clear your mind of thoughts, watching them pass by as if floating along a stream. Next, bring to mind the image of The Star. Feel its healing energies flood through your being as you repeat the loving kindness phrases with a twist. Imagine this coming from the character in the star card, directed at you: May you be happy, may you be safe, may you healthy, may you be at peace. Allow the Star’s presence to envelop you with loving kindness. Now, own those phrases, say them in your thoughts or quietly to your self: May I be happy. May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be at peace. Linger on the meaning of each word, noticing your feelings. And when you’re ready, bring your attention back to your surroundings.

The 3 of Swords

For this one, I want you to envision a time in your past when you’ve been hurt, go back in time to a moment that embodies the 3 of swords. Think of yourself in that moment, but only to the extent you’re able, and in the present, tell your past self: May you be happy, may you be safe, may you be healthy, may you be at peace. Fill that painful memory full of compassion and acceptance. Give yourself the space to heal. Feel the swords in that heart fade, and envision it returning to life, able to beat–lub, dub, lub, dub, lub, dub–once more. When you feel ready, and at peace, bring your awareness to the present.

Why this is important:

It is imperative that we show love to ourselves. I’m not one to say that if you can’t love yourself, you’re not able to love others. However, if you can start loving yourself, you may find your capacity to love others strengthens. You’ll find your confidence building, your ability for self care boosting, and your overall sense of happiness and contentment filling you to the brim.